Modern Coffee Table

This was a very simple mid-century modern coffee table, which presented its own share of challenges. The customer wanted two natural edges (walnut) but wanted it to stay within 14-16” wide. This took some extensive wood sourcing… Then they didn’t want an apron (in keeping with mid-century style), but wanted splayed legs in two directions. I found a good hardward to splay the legs, but the angle wasn’t sufficient, so I added angled blocks to achieve the leg angles. I attempted to convince the customer to have thru-tenons that were wedged into the tops, to no avail. I wouldn’t recommend this piece as a bench. But it is tight and firm as a coffee table.

The result is simple and clean. Critique is welcome.

-- "...a band of small discoveries, strung like pearls on a thread of curiosity, lending richness to our work...." - James Krenov....... soulcraftwoodshop.com

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5 comments so far

Hahahaha…. it’s fun to see that other people share my misery at times! I was commissioned several years ago to make an entry way bench, which is quite similar to your table. I had to make the legs twice because they wanted the wider angle. The old adage that “the customer is always right” simply is not so. On the other hand, if you make the piece which will last a life time and instead they want a piece that has some engineering issues, what do you do? I made the bench that they insisted that I construct. It will certainly fail someday, the first one would have lasted for a century. Oh Well!!!!!!Hang in there, maybe your next customer will listen to reason….....Cheers

Very nice piece of wood for the top. Perfect for this application, balanced, like the contrast between sapwood and heartwood. If you managed to pull off the construction strength, then I’d say you satisfied everybody in the “committee” that created this piece. My dad loves to joke: “All you have to do is …....................”